Iguazu Falls

Dividing the upper and lower Iguazu River is the Iguazu Falls. The parks that contain the falls on both the Argentinian and Brazilian side of the border are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Because of the width and shape of the falls, Iguazu Falls offers better views than other falls like Niagara or Victoria. At one point you can be surrounded by 260 degrees of waterfalls. The Brazilian side of the falls has a walkway that extends towards the falls.

To get to the Park on the Brazilian side you can take a taxi or bus from the Foz do Iguaçu International Airport. On the Argentinian side you can take a taxi or bus from the Cataratas del Iguazú International Airport to Iguazu National Park to view the falls from the Argentinian side.

Motlatse Canyon

Located in South Africa, the Blyde River Canyon, recently renamed Motlatse Canyon, is one of the most spectacular sights in Africa. The canyon extends twenty kilometers in length with the canyon walls rising 600-800 meters from the river. There are a number of trails running through the area as well as microlighting and ballooning tours.

To get to Motlatse Canyon, you can fly into Nelspruit from any of South Africa's major cities and then travel north to Graskop which will take about an hour and the another hour north to Motlatse Canyon.

 

Cappadocia

Located in Central Anatolia in Turkey, Cappadocia is a land filled with ancient underground cities, a unique landscape, cave churches, and houses carved into rock. Cappadocia served as a hiding area for early Christians trying to escape from the Romans. Aside from enjoying the scenery, there are plenty of hiking trails as well as hot air balloon rides for viewing the landscape from above. 

The easiest way to reach Cappadocia is by taking a flight from Istanbul to Kayseri Erkilet Airport in Kayseri. From there it is about an hour drive west to the central Cappadocia region.

Gruta Do Lago Azul

Located near Bonito, Brazil, the Gruta Do Lago Azul or Blue Lake Cave is a cave with an underground lake that is thought to be over 200 ft deep. The lake has incredibly clear blue water that looks even more spectacular when the light hits it just right. The best time to see the cave is from mid-November to mid-January around 8:30 in the morning when the sun shines through the entrance and reflects off the water creating a light blue glow.

Bonito is just north of Bonito Airport though to get to Brazil you will have to fly into one of the major airports and take domestic flights from there.

Caño Cristales

Known as the most beautiful river in the world, Caño Cristales, located in Serrania de La Macarena, Columbia, is unique among rivers. Most of the year the river looks just like any other. However, for a few weeks in October and early November, the river turns into a rainbow of various algae and moss that coat the water's surface with red, green, blue, yellow, and many more colors.

While Caño Cristales is not accessible by road, there are a number of Colombian tourist agencies that host tours of the area. The best way to get there is to take a tour starting in the town of La Macarena.

Geirangerfjorden

Geirangerfjorden, located in Norway, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005. A ferry between the towns of Geiranger and Hellesylt doubles as a sightseeing trip. A number of farms dot the shores of the fjord and some of them can be visited. Popular farms to visit include Skageflå, Knivsflå, and Blomberg. There are three notable waterfalls along the fjord as well. The Seven Sisters and the Suitor sit opposite one another on the fjord. The Bridal Veil is so named because it looks like a bridal veil when the the falls are backlit by the sun. 

Geirangerfjorden can be reached by car from Oslo (seven-eight hours), Bergen (five-seven hours), or Trondheim (five-six hours)

Lauterbrunnen Valley

Nestled between 1000 meter sheer cliffs sits Lauterbrunnen Valley, said to be the world's deepest valley. Lauterbrunnen is also said to be the most beautiful valley in Europe. Seventy two waterfalls descend down into this fertile valley creating some of the most stunning views. Most popular among them is Staubbach Falls which descends 800 to 900 feet making it one of the tallest unbroken single falls in Europe. To the west of Lauterbrunnen is Murren, a transfer point for a spectacular cable car ride up to Schiltorn Peak. To the east of Lauterbrunnen villlage is Wengen, a beautiful car-free village and train stop up to the Kleine Scheidegg mountain pass towards the Jungfraujoch, the most memorable mountain scenery in Switzerland.

To get to Lauterbrunnen village, you can take a train from Interlachen. You can also get to Murren and Wengen from Lauterbrunnen village via train, cable car, or a combination of both.

Torres del Paine

Torres del Paine National Park covers much of Chile's southern Patagonia region and hosts a number of mountains, glaciers, lakes and rivers. The view is dominated by the eastern spur of the Andes mountains known as the Paine massif. The Paine has many vertical cliffs that rise out of the steppes of the Patagonia. These spires are separated by a number of beautiful valleys. There are three choices for hiking paths through the park. A day trip will take you to the iconic Torres del Paine and a five day trail or the 8-9 day full loop are also available for those wishing to see more of the park.

The easiest way to get to the park is to take a bus from El Calafate, Argentina which are offered by Chalten Travel buses. To get to El Calafate, Aerolineas Argentinas has daily flights to and from Buenos Aires. 

Socotra

Socotra is an archipelago located in the Indian Ocean 150 miles off the coast of the Horn of Africa. Before the landmasses of the world reached their present locations, Socotra had already been isolated. The hundreds of millions of years of isolation has led to one of the most unique ecosystems and the most alien looking place on earth. A third of the plant-life there is unique to Socotra. Tourism is pretty new to Socotra, an airport was just built in 1999 and the number of tourists is still low so it remains a pretty unique experience.

Reaching Socotra is best done by flying into Riyan Mukalla airport in Mukalla, Yemen which has direct flights to Socotra through either Felix Airways or Yemenia.

 

Petra

Located in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an, Petra is city cut out of the side of Mount Hor. It was established by the Nabataeans in the 6th century BC as their capital city. Since 1985, Petra has been a World Heritage Site and was notes as being "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage." Parts of Petra were shown in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as well as a number of other films.

The Petra Visitors Center is located in the town of Wadi Musa (The Valley of Moses). The easiest way to get to Petra is to fly into King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba and making your way north to Wadi Musa.

Uluru

Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is one of the most recognizable natural features in Australia. Jutting up 1,142 feet out of the plains of central Australia, the site attracts thousands of tourists each year. The mountain is a sacred place to the local Pitjantjatjara people. This, along with it's many ancient paintings, made Uluru a World Heritage Site. The name Uluru comes from the Pitjantjatjara people though that word has no particular meaning in their language.

You can reach Uluru by plane via the nearby Ayers Rock Airport. Once there, there are scenic viewing areas and areas to go hiking or climbing.

The Karst Peaks of Guilin

Located in the Guilin Prefecture of China near the Li River, the Karst Peaks are a breathtaking site. There are many ways to enjoy these beautiful mountains. You can rent a bicycle or take a riverboat tour or, for the more adventurous, there are a number of companies have set up climbing routes. The best place to enjoy these peaks is the town of Yangshou which can be reached by bus or boat from the city of Guilin. There are also a number of caves to be explored.

The Gateway to Hell

Far off the beaten path in the middle of Turkmenistan's Karakum Desert lies the gateway to hell. The gateway is positioned close to the small village of Derweze. The gateway opened up following a drilling accident in 1971. While some geologists were drilling, they hit a large cavern filled with natural gas. Weakened by the hole and weighed down by the heavy drilling equipment, the roof of the cavern collapsed. This created a 70 meter crater in the ground with poisonous gas leaking out of it. To avoid further disaster, the geologists set the gas on fire figuring it would run out of fuel within a matter of days. The fires have been burning ever since.

Getting to The Gateway to Hell is easy enough as long as you don't mind long drives through the desert. To get there you have to travel north from the city of Ashgabat for about 150 miles. Luckily, you can fly right in to Ashgabat via the Ashgabat International Airport.

Cerro Roraima

Between Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana lies a mammoth tabletop mountain that rises up to 9,219 feet. This incredible geological feature was the inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World and Disney/Pixar's Up. The mountain is covered almost entirely in sandstone with very few bushes able to survive. Combined with the near-daily rainfall, this is one of the most inhospitable places in the world. Torrents of water wash over the edges and create some of the world's tallest waterfalls. 


There are a few ways to reach this mountain. The most popular is to travel to the village of Paraitepui in Venezuela. Paraitepui is on a dirt road off of the main Gran Sabana road between kilometer 88 and Santa Elena de Uairen. After reaching the village, your best bet is to hire a local Pemon Indian guide to take you up the mountain. While the path up is marked, once you reach the top there are no markings and the poor conditions on the top make visual referencing difficult. Tour companies organize five-day tours.